Health and Self Help

Doncaster CVS work with groups who are involved in health and social care issues to help them set-up, grow or sustain themselves and to engage with health and social care agencies, get their views heard and take up opportunities to participate in planning and service delivery decisions. Many groups involved in health and social care issues either participate in activities which promote healthy lifestyles or, often, involve peer support and self-help for people who have specific health issues either personally or within their families.

What are self-help groups?

A self-help group can be defined as a group of people sharing a common problem who set about trying to change their situation by offering support, advice, experience and ways to cope.

How can Doncaster CVS help?

Doncaster CVS has a full-time member of staff who works with people to set up new self-help groups and supports those groups which are already up and running.

Support can come in a variety of ways. Practical assistance can be offered, for example, by helping to find premises; providing a photocopying, typing, ticket production and fax service; providing information, training and advice on topics as wide-ranging as charity law, funding and publicity; and supplying meeting rooms and a reference library.

Doncaster CVS can support self-help groups to make links with others. We are able to provide information about national voluntary organisations, linking together groups of similar interests, linking voluntary and community organisations with statutory authorities and publishing a directory of voluntary and community organisations active in Doncaster.

We can:

  • Assist groups to set up and develop good practice
  • Help groups to access training
  • Provide information on a range of subjects
  • Signpost people and groups to other sources of help such as funding
  • Act as a link with local health and social care professionals to ensure the involvement of the voluntary and community sector
  • Deliver advice and training to groups around child protection

If you are interested in finding out about existing health and self-help groups in Doncaster, or if you would like to start a group yourself, contact Tom McKnight, for support and information on telephone number 01302 343300 Ext 211 or by email at tmcknight@doncastercvs.org.uk.